Supporting means for swinging parts of musical instruments.



No. 893,764. PATENTED JULY 21, 1908 15. E. TURNQUIST. SUPPORTING MEANS FOR SWINGI-NG PARTS OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. @PPLIOATION FILED MAY 20,1907.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AXEL E. TURNQUI ST, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CABLE COMPANY, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SUPPORTING MEANS FOR SWINGING PARTS OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AxEL E. TURNQUIST, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Supporting Means for Swinging Parts of Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention consists of a device for automati'cally retaining or supporting parts of musical instruments when such parts have been moved into a desired position and is especially adaptable for automatically providing support for the fall-board of pianos or similar instruments when in opened position.

The object of the invention is to produce a device for the purpose mentioned that will be simple, reliable, and easy to operate.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front view of the left-hand end of a piano key-desk. l ig. 2 is an end view sectioned upon the line AA of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow, showing in full lines the fall-board in closed or horizontal position and indicating by dotted lines the fall-board in open or vertical position and the operative position of the supporting device.

Heretofore, upon desire to expose the keys of a piano or similar instrument, it has been the custom to rest, fold, or otherwise dispose the key-board cover or fall-board against or upon adjacent parts of the instrument. With few exceptions, however, this manner of disposal detracts from the artistic appearance of the case or occupies space that could be otherwise utilized to better advantage, such as for instance where the piano-case serves to conceal automatic playingmechanism. I have shown a form of key-desk and cover wherein these disadvantages are overcome, as the fall-boardis arranged to open into substantially vertical position and presents a simple, compact, and attractive appearance. However, in such construction, it is important that the fall-board be substantially retained while in this vertical position, as, in case of falling therefrom, a blow upon the fingers might be of serious consequence.

A indicates the piano-keys, B the key-bed, C the key-slip, and D one of the side-arms of the conventional piano key-desk.

1 represents the fall-board or key-cover Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 20, 1907.

Patented July 21, 1908.

Serial No. 374,739.

shown as supported and hinged at 2 upon the key-blocks 3, and adapted to be turned upward into open position (see dotted lines in Fig. 2). A metal arm 4 is substantially secured upon either end of the fall-board 1 and extends rearwardly therefrom beyond the hinge-point 2. A depression or notch 5 at the free extremity of the arm serves as a socket for the rounded end of a spring 6, hereinafter described. When the fall-board is rocked upwardly upon the hinge-point 2 the end of the arm 4 will describe the arc a b. It is my desire to provide means to reliably sustain the fallboard in this open position and to accomplish this I provide the spring 6 firmly secured to the side-arm D and positioned in such a manner that the curve of the spring crosses and extends within the are a 1) formed by the travel of the arm 4. The position of the end of the spring 6 within the are a b is so adjusted that the arm 4 engages therewith at a desired point in its downward swing and continuing therein forces the spring outside the line of its travel until past the greatest projective point, whereupon the receding movement of the arm in the said arc is assisted by the return pressure of the spring 6 and at the end of the motion the rounded end of the spring slips into the socket 5 thereby latching the fall-board 1 in upright position. Rocking the fall-board downwardly into closedposition reverses the described movement of the arm and action of the spring and is sufficiently simple to render further description unnecessary.

Many other modifications of this device may be utilized without departing from the principle of my invention, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to this particular construction, nor to the applica tion of the device to this particular part of the instrument, only, but

What I do claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a musical instrument, the combination of an arm and a spring, one end of said arm being provided with a notch for engagement with said s ring and said arm being pivoted whereby t e notched end is adapted to swing in an arc, said spring being fixed at one end and with the free end thereof intersecting the are at an acute angle to a tangent originating at the point of intersection, whereby swinging of said end of the arm in one direction causes displacement of said free end of the spring and allows engagement thereof with said notch and swinging of said end of the arm in reverse direction forces said notch out of engagement with said free end of the spring and permits said free end of the spring to assume normal position.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination of an arm and a spring, one end of said arm being provided with a notch for engagement with said s )ring and said arm being pivoted. whereby t 1e notched end is adapted to swing in an are, said spring being 'fixed at one end and with the free end thereof provided with a curved surface for engagement with said notch and intersecting the are at an acute angle to a tangent originating at the point of intersection, whereby swinging of said end of the arm in one direction causes displacement of said. free end of the spring and allows engagement of said curved. surface thereof with said notch and swinging of said end. of the arm in reverse direction forces said notch out of engagement with said curved surface and permits said free end of the spring to assume normal position.

3. The combination, with a fixed part of a musical instrument and a pivoted part thereof adapted to be moved into a desired position, of means for retaining the pivoted part in said desired position comprising an arm and a spring, one end of said arm being attached to said pivoted part and the other end thereof being provided with a notch for engagement with said. spring and adapted to swing in an are, said spring being fixed. at one end to said fixed part and with the free end thereof intersecting the are at an acute angle to a tangent originating at the point of intersection, whereby swinging of the notch-pro vided end of said arm in one direction causes displacement of said free end of the spring and allows engagement thereof with said notch and swinging of said notch-provided end of the arm in the reverse direction forces said notch out of engagement with said free end of the spring and permits said free end of the spring to assume normal position.

4.. The combination, with a fixed part of a musical instrument and a pivoted part thereof adapted to be moved into a desired position, of means for retaining the pivoted part in said desired position com rising an arm and a spring, one end of said arm being at tached to said pivoted part and the other end thereof being provided with a notch for engagement with said spring and adapted to swing in an are, said spring being fixed at one end to said fixed part and with the free end thereof provided with a curved surface for engagement with said notch and intersecting the are at an acute angle to a tangent originating at the point of intersection, whereby swinging of the notchprovided end of said. arm in one direction causes displacement of said free end of the spring and allows engagement of said curved surface thereof with said notch and swinging of said notch-provided end of the arm in reverse direction forces said notch out of engagement with said curved surface and permits said free end of the spring to assume normal position.

5. In a musical instruments, a case and a pivoted member adapted to swing into a desired position, means to retain. the member upon disposal in such desired position. comprising an arm fixed. thereupon and adapted to describe an are upon the movement of said member, said arm being provided with a notched end, and a spring fixed at one end to the case with the free end thereof projecting into the path of said arc-describing arm, said. spring providing yielding resistance to the travel of said arm past a determined point and adapted after passage of said point to engage with the notched end and thereby retain the said arm and pivoted member in fixed position.

6. In a musical instrument, a case and a pivoted member adapted to swing into a desired position, means to retain the member upon disposal in such desired position comprising an arm fixed thereupon and adapted to describe an arc upon the movement of said member, said arm being provided with a notched end/and a spring fixed at one end to the case with the free end thereof projecting into the said arm-described are, said spring being provided at its free projecting end with a curved surface adapted for engagement with the said notched end of the arm.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this eleventh day of May, 1907, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AXEL E. TURNQUIST.

Witnesses B. S. Moonn, H. C. I/Vxoxnn. 

